Distillation: How to push a tower to its maximum capacity

In this article, we summarize the advantages and limitations of ten major technologies (condensation; adsorption by carbon; pressure- and temperature-swing adsorption; membrane separations; a combination of rotor concentration plus adsorption; conventional thermal oxidation; flameless thermal oxidation; catalytic oxydation; rotor concentration plus oxidation; biotrickling filtration) for dealing with halogenated VOCs (HVOC). We also present the results of a recent DuPont study that assesses not only their technical but also their economic feasibilities. The findings are summarized in a selection map that shows the best end-of-pipe treatment for any given combination of flowrate and HVOC concentration. As already noted, this is useful not only for selecting an end-of-pipe option but also for benchmarking possible pollution-prevention strategies.